smoking_north_of_45°

Review: CONSUEGRA #54 Epicure Maduro

Size: 5.50 x 50
Handmade HON
Wrapper: HON
Binder: HON
Filler: HON/NIC/DR
Medium-Full Bodied
Price: Gift, normally 1$ (JR)

So here is the setting, I just finish a day in the backyard: started the
pool, assemble the new barbecue and friends are arriving for the
sacrificial meat on the new barbecue (pork chop with a maple marinade).
I even manage to grade a few papers while waiting for the pool the
refill between cleaning.

It is still sunny and nice outside, I have a mix of Guinness and Porto
in one hand and the Connie #54 (TY Alain) in the other and grinning from
ear to ear. The former proprietor tells me it has aged for a 1½ year, so
it meets the requirements of Hutch’s Laws of Connie. :-)

On pre-light inspection the cigar seems fine, no hard point in the
construction easy to squeeze but not to much give to be consider loose.
The aroma is nice, the wrapper oily and shiny.

I punch it and a problem occurs, the wrapper split at the end, right
above the punch hole. After checking the wrapper I find it to be a bit
on the dry side. Although, it has been resting in my humidor at 70RH for
a week. When rolling it between my fingers it does feel dry. Pre-draw is
loose, more than a Monte, but not bad to the point of feeling like air
through a straw.

The tear is not long and I can cover it with my lips, so it will be
smokable. I torch it and the taste is just fine. My first criteria being
harshness, this one is fine since it has no harshness. The taste, well…
when drinking a Guinness you don’t taste much else around your mouth and
adding 2 ounces of Port to it took care of the sweet tasting buds in my
mouth. I do suggest if you don’t like the Guinness aftertaste, the Port
eliminates it. But I can tell that it is a medium-full bodied cigar,
lots of taste and smoke, with a nice Nic Kick to it.

It burned fine all the way with no need to adjust or relight. It was a
bit of a challenge due to the tear in the wrapper, I had to nurse it to
maintain the integrity and being my first Connie I needed the
experience. I smoked it for an hour but with the heat and time, the tear
increased to the point where it was hard to cover it and smoke at the
same time.

And the verdict is… I LIKE IT.

Maybe not the best cigar, not that complex a cigar, but like most say,
the most value for a buck, literally. I will buy some of these to smoke
while fishing or for passing to friends on a fishing trip. They won’t
know there a buck and they will do fine to repel mosquitoes.

Hope to read you soon,

Denis
Still smoking north of 45°

Spammer: don't bother removing the NOSPAM from the E-mail

skyhawkxp

On Mon, 24 May 2004 14:49:28 GMT, Smoking_North_of_45°
<lamyd@NOSPAMtr.cgocable.ca> opined:

Thanks for the review Denis!

---
SkyhawkXP
Remove SPAM when replying via email

dennis

Thanks for the review Denis. I had a couple black and tans on Saturday,
close but not the same. A porter mixed with a premium beer. Went nicely
with the Sancho Panza Double Maduro's that I shared with a friend.

Dennis